KUALA LUMPUR, June 22 — The Delta Covid-19 variant appears to be provoking a different range of symptoms, with classic signs of the coronavirus becoming less common, experts said.
According to Tim Spector, a professor of genetic epidemiology at King’s College London, who runs the Zoe Covid Symptom study, a headache, sore throat and runny nose are now thought to be symptoms of the virus, instead of a cough and loss of smell or taste. Fever remains common.
This is based on data collected through the ongoing UK-based study which enables the public to enter their Covid symptoms on an app that enables scientists to then analyze the data.
For younger people, Spector noted in a YouTube briefing on June 9 that catching the Delta variant can feel “more like a bad cold” where he explained that while they may not feel very ill, they could still be contagious and put others at risk.
“Covid is also acting differently now. It’s more like a bad cold in this younger population and people don’t realise that and that hasn’t come across in any of the government information.”
“Since the start of May, we have been looking at the top symptoms in the app users and they are not the same as they were,” he said as quoted by CNBC.
“The number one symptom is headache, then followed by sore throat, runny nose and fever.”
More “traditional” Covid symptoms such as a cough and loss of smell were much rarer now he said, with younger people experiencing much more of a bad cold or “funny off feeling.”
